Overweight and Health (II)

According to World Health Organization (WHO), obesity and overweight lead to serious health problems such as:

Ÿ             Cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular diseases are caused by disorders of the heart and blood vessels, and it includes coronary heart disease (heart attacks), cerebro-vascular disease (stroke), high blood pressure (hypertension), peripheral artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and heart failure.

High blood pressure (hypertension) occurs more frequently in overweight people. Hypertension can result in varying degrees of damage to the brain (stroke) and kidneys (degeneration) as well as the heart.

         Another occurrence is atherosclerosis, which is the deposit of fatty material in the lining of the arterial wall. It can result in rupture of the blood vessel or in narrowing of these vessels, which may lead to stroke or heart attack.

The major causes of cardiovascular diseases are tobacco use, physical inactivity and an unhealthy diet.

Moreover, as one gets weight, the heart must work harder to supply nutrients to all tissues of the body. The greater the body mass, the greater the strain on the heart.

         This is the number one cause of death globally. An estimated 17.3 million people died from cardiovascular diseases in 2008, representing 30 per cent of all global deaths. Of these deaths, an estimated 7.3 million were due to coronary heart disease and 6.2 million were due to stroke. By 2030, almost 23.6 million people will die from cardiovascular diseases, mainly from heart disease and stroke. These are projected to remain the single leading causes of death.

Ÿ           Diabetes

              This is a chronic disease, which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. This leads to an increased concentration of glucose in the blood (hyperglycaemia). There are different types of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes (previously known as insulin-dependent or childhood-onset diabetes) is characterized by a lack of insulin production. Without daily administration of insulin, Type 1 diabetes is rapidly fatal.

Type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset) results from being ineffective use of insulin in the body.

Type 2 diabetes comprises 90 per cent of people with diabetes around the world, and is largely the result of excess body weight and physical inactivity. Until recently, this type of diabetes was seen only in adults but it is now also occurring in obese children.

Gestational diabetes is hyperglycaemia which is first recognized during pregnancy.

Overall, 346 million people worldwide have diabetes and it was projected that diabetes deaths will double between 2005 and 2030. Diabetes is more common in overweight people.

Ÿ             Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)

Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumours and neoplasms. One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs. This process is referred to as metastasis. Metastases are the major cause of death from cancer.

Overweight and Health (I)

Overweight definitely affects our well-being (both physical and mental health).

Obese and overweight people have a decreased life expectancy. The more overweight a person is, the lower his or her life expectancy would be.

Obese and overweight people are more accident prone mainly because excess weight limits their mobility so that they cannot easily get out of the way of danger.

A vicious cycle is set up in overweight people with arthritis of the hip, knees or feet, or in those who suffer from a ruptured intervertebral disc.

Increased weight leads to greater wear and tear on these joints, which may become more irritated and painful. The increased discomfort forces the patient to become less and less active, thereby favouring a further gain in weight.

In addition, this year, researchers at The University of Hong Kong found that being overweight and obese significantly contributes to the development of disc degeneration.  Degeneration of the joints of the spine (known as the intervertebral discs) is one of the major causes of low back pain.  Serious low back pain may prohibit the patients to maintain normal work and social life.

Overweight and obese individuals were found to have a greater extent and severity of disc degeneration in comparison to those individuals of normal weight or underweight. The end-stage disc degeneration with narrowing of the disc space was more pronounced in obese individuals.

Another study showed that persistent overweight in the early age associated strongly with risk of increased number of lumbar disc degeneration. Overweight at young age was a stronger predictor of an increase in the number of degenerated discs than overweight in middle age.

Disc degeneration is irreversible and may cause a lot of long-term suffering and psychological distress for patients.

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